We Are Family
by TMNTfan1
Summary: A series of short stories about my OC Kayla and her brother's.
1. Keeping Busy

**Author's Note: Okay, I've had a lot of people asking for more stories with the turtles and my OC Kayla, their younger sister. For those of you who haven't read any of my stories, these will make more sense if you read some, just to get an idea about what Kayla is like. The short stories I have uploaded here about Kayla include: **_**A New Member of the Family**_**, **_**Newborn**_**, **_**Waiting for Santa**_**, **_**Thunderstorms**_**, **_**Alone Time…And a hurricane!**_**, **_**Tales of Leo: Patience**_**, **_**Protective Brother**_**, and **_**The Past is the Past**_**. I also have a couple chapter books about her: **_**A Single Broken Promise**_** and its sequel **_**An Uncertain Future**_**, as well as a TMNT Teen Titans crossover titled **_**An Unusual Team**_**.**

**Anyways, people have been asking for more Kayla stories, and I doubt I'll be writing anymore chapter books about her, but sometimes an idea for a short story pops into my head, so I decided to just make a series of short stories and put them all in one "book" titled **_**We Are Family**_**. Each chapter will be a different 'moment' between Kayla and either one of her brothers, Splinter, or even April or Casey if I come up with an idea.**

**At the beginning of each story I'll put the title, whichever version of the turtles this story takes place in, and who the moment is between, including their ages in ( ).**

**If any of you have any ideas or suggestions for this book, feel free to let me know either in the reviews or PM me. I might not be able to write every idea, but I will try.**

**Okay, I'll quit boring you now. Enjoy the first chapter! : )**

* * *

**Keeping Busy**

**Version: ****1990 Live Action Movie**

**Sibling Moment: ****Kayla (12) and Mikey (15); Raph (15) mentioned**

**XXX**

_April O'Neil: "It's strange being back on the old farm. Even after all these years it still feels like home. My amazing new friends have suffered their first real defeat. That's bad enough, but they've also lost the opportunity to find out about their mentor, and I'm sure that hurts them much more than anything else. Each of them deals with this confusion in their own way. Donatello has found someone to latch onto, in Casey Jones. Leonardo, meanwhile, has kept a constant vigil with Raphael. And lastly the two youngest of our group, Kayla and Michelangelo, have been nearly inseparable our entire time here."_

*~ooOoo~*

Mikey and Kayla laughed together as they ran through the thin area of trees to the small campsite they set up. Both siblings were soaked, having just finished going for a swim in the nearby lake. They always tried to keep themselves busy, to take their minds off everything that had happened in the past week. Master Splinter getting kidnapped, April's home and shop being burned down, and…Raph. His condition hadn't changed much since the attack. He was still unconscious in the bathtub, with Leo keeping a constant watch over him. Mikey and Kayla tried to stay away from the farmhouse as much as possible, going hiking, swimming, camping, heck they even trained! Anything they could think of to distract themselves.

However, a few times when it rained, they stayed inside and played board games, since there wasn't any kind of working electricity in the house. The two youngest of the Hamato family rarely fell asleep in the separate beds left in the six bedrooms available. Usually, they were either asleep outside camping, curled up together on the couch, or on the living room floor.

Sometimes, when Mikey was asleep and Kayla couldn't fall asleep, she'd slip upstairs to the bathroom, where her two oldest brothers were. She very rarely spoke to Leo, occasionally asking how Raph was doing, she usually just knelt on the cold floor by the tub, occasionally resting her forehead against Raph's arm. She'd sometimes talk to him, telling him to get better, telling him how her day went, or just having random conversations with him. Eventually, she'd fall asleep on the floor, and either Mikey or Don would come in and move her either to the couch or a bed.

Mikey and Kayla dried off after their swim, then they relaxed around their campfire, roasting hotdogs and marshmallows. Afterwards they sprawled out on the forest floor, looking up at the stars above them. They pointed out some of the constellations they could see, even making up a few just for laughs. Eventually, their laughter died down, leaving them in a comfortable silence, their eyes roaming the dark, star-scattered sky above.

Finally, Kayla had to voice the question that had been nagging at the back of her mind, that she'd been avoiding since it happened.

"Hey, Mike?" her brother made a 'hm' noise, showing he was listening. "Do you think…Master Splinter's okay?"

Michelangelo sucked in a sharp, pained breath at the thought of their missing father. He was silent for several moments, making Kayla regret asking.

"I don't know." he finally whispered. Kayla peaked over at him from the corner of her eye. "I mean,…how ironic is it that only a few days after his lesson about us not having him around anymore, he actually gets kidnapped? I just-I don't know." Mikey rambled, his voice unusually serious before it died in his throat.

"I'm scared Mikey." Kayla whispered, a tear escaping her eye.

Without another word, Mikey wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his side, holding her tightly to him as she rested her head on his shoulder. They pulled the extra blanket over themselves, curling close to each other for warmth and comfort.


	2. Reading Calms the Beast

**Reading Calms the Beast**

**Version:**** 2003 Cartoon**

**Sibling Moment:**** Kayla (14) and Don (17)**

**XXX**

Kayla stared down at her feet, her arms holding her knees to her chest with her back resting against the smooth, rounded glass behind her. A loud thump would vibrate through her back on occasion as the being inside the glass chamber would pound his fists against the glass.

Kay glanced around the lair at what the others were doing. Master Splinter and Leonardo were talking to their friend Leatherhead, a mutant crocodile, trying to think of what to do. Raphael was taking his pent up stress out on his punching bag. And Michelangelo was sulking in front of the TVs, casting sad glances in Kayla's direction, though his eyes were directed at the tray, bowl, and drinking glass scattered across the floor.

Kayla sighed as she turned just enough to look at the…animal…in the glass unit behind her. She refused to call him a 'creature' or 'monster' like her brothers sometimes whispered, because that's what he _wasn't_! What he _was_, was something Kayla still had trouble believing every time she looked into his cold, red eyes and sharp-fanged snarl.

Her brother.

Yes, the roaring, dull-green, broad-shouldered, 9 ft tall turtle before her with red eyes, fangs, and claws was really her sweet, innocent, intelligent older brother; Donatello.

Thanks to an infected gash on his leg during a fight with one of Bishop's mutants, Don had undergone what Leatherhead called, a "double mutation". And now, they didn't know how they were going to cure him, or _if_ they could. Leatherhead was afraid if they didn't cure him before a certain time, he'd be stuck this way forever.

Kayla gazed sadly into her brother's eyes, like a deep sea of blood with her morphed reflection in the center. She swallowed thickly as she slowly raised her hand to rest it against the smooth surface, the two-inch thick glass being the only thing keeping Don from attacking her. A couple hours ago she would've never believed Don would attack her, double mutation or not, but then he tried to rip off Mikey's leg when the youngest brother brought him food.

She didn't want to be, and she hated to admit it, even to herself, but she was _scared_ of Don.

"Hey Donny." Kayla whispered to him, her hand still pressed to the glass. "I don't know if you can understand me," she whispered slowly, causing Don to stop beating against the glass as he looked down at her, "but everything will be okay. I know it will. You…you can't stay like this." her words hitched as her throat closed, tears brimming in her eyes. She turned her face down and closed her eyes as she covered her mouth with her free hand.

Don stared down at her as she composed herself, his eyes cold and empty as he watched her, purely animalistic, not an ounce of their brainiac brother inside.

After a few moments Kayla wiped her cheeks with both hands and looked up at her brother, a couple pink lines trailing down her cheeks from her red, puffy eyes as she looked over her brother.

Something flashed in Kayla's chocolate-brown eyes, as an almost non-existent smile appeared at the corners of her lips.

"I'll be right back, Donny." she said quietly as she got up and ran across the lair to Don's bedroom. The sudden movement brought the attention of her father and other brothers to Don's bedroom doorway.

Mikey walked up to the punching bag as Raph stopped for a breather, two sets of eyes, one framed in a red mask, the other in orange, fixed on the doorway.

"Is she okay?" Mikey asked quietly, "What's she doin'?"

"Don't know." Raph answered quietly, looking over his shoulder to meet eyes with Leo, both concerned.

When they all looked back, Kayla had emerged from Don's room carrying a book and Don's purple blanket from his bed.

Kayla ignored the eyes on her as she sat cross-legged on the floor in front of Don, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders with the book in her lap. When she was little, Don would sometimes sit on his bed with Kayla in his lap and his blanket wrapped around them both, as he read her stories to help her fall asleep. A lot of the stories were a little too…advanced for her to understand; like Shakespeare, which was probably why they made her fall asleep. But for this occasion she grabbed one that both her and Don agreed to be one of their favorites. _The Polar Express._

"Hey, Donny. Remember this book?" Kayla asked as she held it up for him to see.

Don lowered his head as he looked it over, but his red eyes were still empty, like an animal.

"You used to read this to me, when we were little." she explained quietly, as she lowered the book back to her lap, trying not to feel hurt that she didn't get a reaction. After all, it would be foolish to expect him to remember _a book _when he didn't even remember his family. So, she cut right to the chase and started reading.

Don blinked as he stared down at her, her soft voice flowing to his ears. He didn't know who she was, or what she was doing; but for the first time he could recall, he felt calm.

His body lowered slowly to the ground, into a seated position, his shell-covered back arched with his head lowered. His nose was almost touching the glass, her face only about 9 inches from his. He could barely catch a whiff of her scent through the little door at the bottom of his chamber. Her natural scent was sharp, like spices or cinnamon, mixed with a hint of incense and the salty scent of tears. And one scent that confused him, that seemed to be coming from the dark violet cloth wrapped around her, smelled like…him. It was_ his_ scent, only a tiny bit different, almost like it wasn't him at the same time.

Soon, her quiet voice combined with the comforting, and mildly familiar scent made Don curl up on the floor of his container, his eyes drooping lazily as he drifted asleep.

XXX

A wary sigh escaped Leonardo's lungs as he left Leatherhead to his research, slowly dragging his feet across the lair. On instinct, his eyes went to the container where his brother was being held. He did a double take and stopped walking, no longer half-asleep thanks to the sight before him.

Don was curled up inside the container, asleep for the first time since they captured him; and Kayla was curled up asleep on the floor in front of it, Don's blanket draped over her, with a book gripped loosely in her hand.

A small, sad smile slipped on Leo's face as he remembered all the nights when they were younger, when he'd find Kayla's room empty. He'd go looking for her, only to find her and Donny curled up in Don's bed, having fallen asleep after reading a story.

Leo sighed, a mix of sadness and mild contentment at the memories in that one breath. Knowing Kayla would be uncomfortable on the floor, Leo walked towards the container with the intent of taking her to her own room.

The scuff of feet on the cement floor caused Don's sharp, red eyes to snap open, swiveling in the direction of the sound to find one of the creatures who captured him, the one with the blue mask and swords. He was less than a foot from the girl, who was asleep on the floor, and was bending down like he planned on picking her up.

A low growl rumbled deep in Don's chest, his upper lip lifting to reveal his sharp fangs as he slowly raised his head from the floor.

Leo froze, his head snapping up to stare at Don in shock. He wasn't surprised at being growled at, he just thought Don was asleep. When he didn't move back after a few moments, Don's growl grew a tiny bit louder in warning.

Leo pulled back and took a few steps back. Don stopped growling, but he continued to glare at Leo through cold, red eyes. The leader thought for a moment before he took a step closer to Kayla again, testing something.

Don went back to growling, only a tiny bit louder than before. Leo could tell he was trying Don's patience, and he didn't want to wake Kayla up because she hadn't been sleeping at all since Don's double mutation.

Leo turned and walked over to the couch, grabbing one of the many pillows there, before walking back towards Don and Kayla. Don's eyes stayed fixed on him, watching his every move through narrowed, red eyes.

Leo met Don's eyes calmly as he crouched near Kayla's head, causing the larger turtle to reveal his fangs again in warning. Leo ignored the warning as he gently lifted Kayla's head and slid the pillow under her head so she'd be more comfortable, not once taking his eyes off Don's. Finally, Leo tore his eyes from his brother to fix the blanket so that it covered Kayla completely.

Don's eyes watched Leo's every move, waiting for him to do something to set him off. Finally, Leo pulled the book from Kayla's hand and set it on the floor, smiling a little when he saw the title.

Still crouched behind Kayla, Leo looked up and stared Don straight in the eye.

"I'd never hurt her, Donny." Leo said slowly, quietly. Don had no idea what the sounds the smaller creature made were, he simply stared back at Leo through narrowed eyes. Leo stood slowly, so as not to set Don off, and walked to his own room, wanting to get at least a few hours of sleep.

Don watched the creature leave to another part of the den. Only when he was completely out of sight did Don look back down at the girl.

He could tell by her calm breathing and steady heartbeat that she was asleep. And there was no change in her scent telling him the blue-masked creature did something wrong to her.

He still didn't know who she was, nothing about her was very familiar to him, apart from his own scent on the cloth covering her. But for some reason he wanted to protect her. He _needed_ to protect her. No matter what.


	3. That's it Period

**That's it. Period.**

**Version:**** 2003 cartoon? (it's debatable)**

**Sibling Moment:**** Kayla (14) and April (mid twenties?) (They're not siblings, but I think Kayla would see April as either a mother figure or an older sister since she has neither)**

**(If any boys read this, I apologize if it makes you feel uncomfortable)**

**XXX**

"Kay, if ya don't open this freakin' door, I'mma kick it in!" Raph shouted angrily, his Brooklyn accent coming out in full form as he banged his fist against the bathroom door.

"Yeah, well…" Kayla thought frantically for something to scare him away as she sat on the toilet, "if you kick the door in…you'll see a lot more than you bargained for!"

Raph grimaced in disgust as he got images he _really _didn't want. He hadn't seen his little sister in her birthday suit since she was a toddler, and now that she was going on fourteen…yeah, that was something he really didn't want to think about.

"Well…ya've been in dere fer hours!" he shouted pathetically, almost whining. He really needed to go!

Kayla rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, I've been in here for like, twenty minutes."

"Exactly!" Raph shouted, throwing his hands out even though she couldn't see him. "You've been in dere long enough to 'ave taken five dumps by now!"

Now it was Kayla's turn to grimace in disgust. "Raph, gross!" she whined.

"Open the door!" he shouted again, louder this time as he repeatedly slammed his fist on the door.

Don, Leo, and April walked in the front door of April's apartment at that moment, the two turtles dressed in trench coats and matching fedoras, all three each carrying a paper grocery sack.

Master Splinter, Kayla, and the guys were all staying with April for a few days because their lair had flooded, along with the rest of the sewers, due to the excessive rainfall New York had gotten lately. Master Splinter was currently on the rooftop of April's apartment with Mikey, helping the youngest turtle catch up in his training. It was about 10:00 at night, the perfect time for the five mutants to be out and about.

"Raph, what are you doing?" Leo asked as they passed the angry turtle to the kitchen. "We could hear you from the shop downstairs."

"Your sister's been in there fer the past twenty minutes!" Raph answered tightly, jerking his thumb to point at the bathroom door.

"I'm sorry, whose sister?" Leo asked with a smirk directed at his brother as he started pulling food out of the sack on the counter.

Don, however, left the food in the kitchen and headed towards his red-masked brother, a worried look adorning his face.

He knocked quietly on the door, shouldering his brother out of the way.

"Kay? You alright in there?" Don asked worriedly.

Kayla swallowed as she looked down into the toilet bowl. "Uum…yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." she answered, trying to sound sure, but her shaking voice gave her away.

"Kayla, the truth." Don responded sternly.

Kayla groaned quietly, pressing her hand to her lower stomach as she felt a wave of crippling pain from within her.

"I…I don't know." Kayla admitted quietly.

Raph, hearing that something might be wrong, completely forgot about his anger and need to go to the bathroom. "What do you mean you don't know?" he demanded worriedly, jiggling the doorknob to try and get inside again.

April, now finished putting everything away, moved towards the bathroom door with her younger friends. Having heard what was being said, she decided to step in, figuring Kayla might feel more comfortable talking to another girl.

"Kayla? Do you want to talk to me about whatever it is?" April called gently through the door. "Maybe you could let me in and I can see what's wrong?" she suggested.

Kayla thought about it for a moment.

It was silent for several moments, before the lock clicked, signaling Kayla unlocked it.

April slipped inside, closing and locking the door behind her. When she turned around, she saw Kayla sitting on the toilet, her pants around her ankles, and her legs squeezed together. She glanced at the redhead a couple times, but avoided eye contact as she nervously chewed her lip.

"Alright, Kay, can you tell me what's wrong?" April asked gently, staying by the door because she didn't want to make the young girl any more uncomfortable than she already was.

Kayla groaned as she continued to chew her lip. "I…I don't know!" she finally exclaimed, fear and slight annoyance in her voice.

"Well, why are you in here?" April urged.

"Uh, well…" Kay looked at the floor by her feet before looking nervously back up at the young woman, "I think I'm dying!" she whispered fearfully, not wanting her brothers to hear her. She could barely tell they were still out there by the three shadows in the crack under the door.

April's brows shot up in surprise, that was the last thing she expected the young teen to say. "What are you talking about?!" she asked frantically, remembering to be quiet so she didn't worry the turtles. "What makes you think that?"

Kayla pinched her lips together with her teeth, glancing into the toilet bowl from between her legs. Then, she looked back up at April and loudly whispered in a panicked voice, "I'm bleeding!"

April blinked for a moment before a smile spread across her face, her head falling back against the door as a relieved laugh escaped her lips. When she lifted her head again to look, Kayla was staring at her in disbelief, not understanding how the kind, gentle, sweet April O'Neil found this situation funny.

April looked at the floor to gain some composure. She needed to be serious for Kayla's sake, the first time is always a little scary for girls.

She cleared her throat and walked a few steps closer, kneeling on the floor a couple feet from Kayla.

"Um…I'm assuming you haven't learned anything about, um…the 'changes' girls go through when they get older?" April guessed gently.

Kayla looked at her in confusion, so April began the slightly uncomfortable explanation of a woman's "time of the month", which also lead to the talk about the 'birds and the bees'. It was safe to say Kayla and April's relationship changed quite a bit that day.

Afterwards, April instructed Kayla on how to put on a pad, and finally, they left the small bathroom. Raph, Leo, and Don weren't crowded around the door anymore, but Raph was leaning against the wall beside the bathroom door while his older and younger brothers were both seated on the couch watching TV. When the two girls stepped out of the bathroom, everyone looked up expectantly.

"Well? Ya okay or what? What happened?" Raph asked worriedly.

Kayla smiled as a blush crept up her cheeks.

"Nothing. April helped me. I'm good now." she answered quietly.

The three guys watched in slight confusion as April and Kayla went into the kitchen. Kayla sat at the table while April pulled out a chocolate bar from the fridge and handed it to her with a wink. Kayla happily ate it, thankful she had a sister figure like April to help her through that awkward moment in her life.


	4. Caffiene Addict

**Caffeine Addict**

**Version:**** (Could be any of them)**

**Sibling Moment:**** Kayla (16) and Don (19) **

**XXX**

Saturday morning Kayla jumped out of bed at 5:30 AM on the dot, hurrying into the kitchen to turn on the coffee pot. This wouldn't be an abnormal occurrence, on any day but Saturday and Sunday. Master Splinter had decided that on weekdays, Monday through Friday, training would begin at 5:00 AM and go for an hour and a half, so Kayla would have enough time to get ready for school afterwards. But on weekends, seeing as no one really had anywhere to go during the day, he allowed his children to sleep in until 7:00, and then they'd train until about 8:30 so Mikey could watch his cartoons. Then, they'd train for a bit during the afternoon and go on patrols at night.

So when Leo, who woke up at 5:00 everyday by choice for training, saw his little sister in the kitchen so early, he was perplexed. Sliding his swords back into their hilts, he paused his practice to head into the kitchen. He crossed his arms over his plastron, his shoulder leaning against the side of the doorway, his usual posture, as he watched her set up the coffee pot.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously. Donny was the only avid coffee-drinker in the family. The other turtles would drink it on occasion; but Mikey, Raph, and Kayla preferred soda, and Leo and Master Splinter preferred tea. Unlike everyone else, who could drink coffee once in a while, Kayla hated the stuff with a passion, saying it was too bitter for her tastes. Since Donny preferred it black, they rarely bought anything like cream or sugar for it.

Upon hearing his voice Kayla looked over her shoulder at him. She wasn't surprised to see him, everyone knew he woke up before them to train alone.

"Um, what does it look like?" she asked sarcastically, gesturing to the coffee pot before she moved to put a couple slices of bread in the toaster.

"It looks like the fervent coffee-hater is making a pot of black coffee." Leo answered pointedly, ignoring her attitude. Like Raph, Kayla wasn't always a morning person.

Kayla paused before reaching up to the cupboard to get a plate down.

"I'm getting it ready for Don. You know how he doesn't properly wake up until he's had his, like, seventh cup of coffee." she answered like it was obvious. It sounded like an exaggeration, but it really wasn't. Don wouldn't be 'awake-awake' until he's downed at least five or six cups.

"So, you woke up over an hour before training to get Don's coffee ready? You know he won't be up until, like, 6:30, right?" Leo asked lightly, still trying to figure out what she was up to.

Kayla shrugged as she pulled her toast out of the toaster. "Yeah, but I figured he'd want it to be ready for him when he woke up."

Leo studied her through narrowed eyes as she spread peanut butter over her toast. "What are you up to?" he finally asked, giving up on figuring it out.

Kayla looked up at him, her slightly-widened eyes giving away that she was, indeed, up to something. But she managed to keep her cool. "What? I'm not up to anything. I couldn't sleep so I thought, since I'm up anyway, I'd get his coffee started."

She sounded believable enough, but Leo knew her better than that. However, he knew it couldn't be anything too bad.

"Just don't do anything that'll get you in trouble, Kay." Leo basically pleaded before he left the kitchen to return to his practice.

"What, you think I'm dumb enough to do something like mess with Don's coffee. Please." she scoffed as she sat down at eat her breakfast. No, she wouldn't do anything to Don's coffee. She needed it.

*~0~*

About an hour later a half-asleep Donatello stumbled into the kitchen, heading straight for his full coffee pot. He blindly grabbed a mug out of the cabinet above his head and filled it to the brim with the steaming, black liquid. He slumped into his seat, practically chugging the drink.

"Morning Don." Kayla greeted him with a smile as she took a sip of her glass of milk. He mumbled what sounded like a response. Kayla stared down at the tabletop, occasionally casting a glance at her brother as he drank.

When he was halfway through his fourth mug, Don looked down into the endless black drink, his chocolate brown eyes sharp with intelligence, instead of dulled by drowsiness. After a moment, he turned and looked at Kayla.

"I didn't make any coffee this morning." he stated simply, as if he was silently trying to figure out how it was possible.

Kayla hid her smile behind her fist, which was propped under her chin.

"Interesting observation there, Brainiac." she joked.

Don narrowed his eyes thoughtfully as he looked at her. "Did you make my coffee?"

Kayla shrugged. "Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't."

Don gave her a mildly annoyed look. "Kayla."

"Alright, I made your coffee. You're welcome." she answered.

Don looked back down at his mug thoughtfully before he looked back at her, his eyes narrowed in suspicion this time.

"Why'd you make coffee? You don't drink it." he pointed out, his voice sounded as if he were trying to solve a complex math problem.

"I just felt like doing something nice for my brother. Is there something wrong with that?" Kayla asked innocently.

She could almost see the flashing red warning lights going off in Don's head.

"Okay, what did you do?" he demanded, not looking mad, just mildly nervous and uncomfortable.

"What makes you think I did something?" Kayla asked, sitting back in her chair.

"You're buttering me up because you're about to give me some bad news, now spill."

"I wouldn't call it _bad_ news."

"Kayla." Don warned again.

She sighed in defeat. "Okay, okay you got me. I may or may not have…" she mumbled something after that, that Don couldn't hear.

"You what?" he asked.

She sighed again, "I failed my math test." she admitted sheepishly, looking up at him with an innocent grin.

Don's eyes widened before he glared at her.

"Kayla!"


End file.
